Anyone has volunteered

[Tankman]

  On 12/18/2018 at 10:44 AM, Slowbee said:

Maybe the payment is to cover your accommodation and food as supplied by the epic, or do you have to induce those costs.

 

Accommodation?  Nope you sleep in the same red/blue tents as the riders just in a different location.  Every year there are plenty of empty tents from guys sleeping elsewhere or the Epic making sure there are enough tents, so pitching 10 or 50 more makes no difference. 

 

Food might be subsidized a tiny bit but since the catering company is geared to feed 1300 riders already.  Add what, 100 volunteers?  Easily covered by the 1300 riders.

 

 

[TeamBaja]

Thanks for all the replies, I fine with the paying part, stay in a tent as the racers do is fine as well. After next year, I'll get to race in 2020, so is ok to go there and learn the ropes a little. Is a big commitment when you fly from California USA.

 

I know people that have been trying, for a few years with no success to get in. So I'll see you in 2019.

[Kranswurm]

  On 12/19/2018 at 6:00 AM, SpeedLab said:

Thanks for all the replies, I fine with the paying part, stay in a tent as the racers do is fine as well. After next year, I'll get to race in 2020, so is ok to go there and learn the ropes a little. Is a big commitment when you fly from California USA.

 

I know people that have been trying, for a few years with no success to get in. So I'll see you in 2019.

Good for you.Dont be put off by this miserable bunch of gits

[LeoKnight]

I think there is something to say about experiencing the whole vibe beforehand, maybe even stay a few days before or after to ride some of the trails yourself and get a feel for what would be expected.

[Albatross]

Perhaps the volunteer "fee" is to ensure you don't bail at the last minute with your volunteering duties which could leave the organisers short staffed.

[Grease_Monkey]

  On 12/19/2018 at 8:43 AM, Albatross said:

Perhaps the volunteer "fee" is to ensure you don't bail at the last minute with your volunteering duties which could leave the organisers short staffed.

I generally find that paying your staff for services provided has a similar effect.

[TeamBaja]

They mention that, if you decide to volunteer again is 1,000. 

  On 12/19/2018 at 8:43 AM, Albatross said:

Perhaps the volunteer "fee" is to ensure you don't bail at the last minute with your volunteering duties which could leave the organisers short staffed.

[TeamBaja]

To me coming from over here it makes, getting there a few days early experiencing the whole race from inside and then coming to race a year later. So we'll see in about 4 months.

  On 12/19/2018 at 8:28 AM, LeoKnight said:

I think there is something to say about experiencing the whole vibe beforehand, maybe even stay a few days before or after to ride some of the trails yourself and get a feel for what would be expected.

[Duane_Bosch]

  On 12/20/2018 at 6:27 AM, SpeedLab said:

To me coming from over here it makes, getting there a few days early experiencing the whole race from inside and then coming to race a year later. So we'll see in about 4 months.

Come over. It's a beautiful part of the world. Make sure you bring a bike and ride. There's looooooooooooots of riding in the Western Cape.

 

Someone on here did volunteer (can't remember who) and he said it was well worth it to get an insight into the race and guarantee an entry.

[Bosveldklong]

Don’t understand the struggle to get an entry ????

Lately there has been numerous ones up for sale on Bikehub......and still available.

[lechatnoir]

  On 12/18/2018 at 10:04 AM, BaGearA said:

I'm sorry " wat ? "  

 

capitalism is real 

 

Willing seller, willing buyer... but ya, you're right... seems a bit wonky

[TeamBaja]

Well I'll be there this year, as  volunteer and 2020 I'll be racing. So let's have fun, training for next year is going great.

[Today's Plan]

The Volunteer program was the worst week on my wife's life, as she put it! Drove her to work from 4 :30am -8:30pm and *** jobs to (and you pay to work!), found it totally unfulfilling and pulled the pin half way through the week. Know another person who also resigned mid way through the week!

[TeamBaja]

Thanks for the input, I'll find out soon enough.

I'll be there next week. 

[Carcarias1974]

Volunteering is less fun for some, more fun for others. Depending on the team you are on I guess. I was on the Pro Tech team, and it was a jol. Nice team, and a great job!

 

That said, I wouldn't do it again for the entry. There are entries going "cheap" now, so if you train hard and can go at the drop of a hat, entries become available. 

 

Also, have your ~85k ready. You need to pay for the entry by the end of April (if they do what they did last year).

[Hairy]

I like the idea of paying that as a refundable deposit in order for the organisers to know they can rely on you arriving and doing the work at hand ... once you have full filled your obligations, then it would be "right" for them to refund you the deposit.

 

If it was a matter of just volunteering, I would imagine that closer to the time they would see a fair no. of people just pulling out and then they have to scramble to find replacement staff.

 

 

  On 12/18/2018 at 10:21 AM, Skubarra said:

I could never get my head around that one, that people would pay the organisers to do crappy work at the Epic - in principal it is just wrong on so many levels